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Phase change materials (PCMs) store large amounts of latent heat over small temperature ranges, so their application in the thermal regulation of buildings is becoming more popular. However, PCMs have low thermal conductivities, so micro-encapsulated PCMs (micro-PCMs) are being incorporated into PCMs to enhance their performance and improve thermal conductivity. In this study, micro-PCMs were mixed with thermally conductive, inorganic gypsum powder and glass fiber to produce gypsum boards. The ...
Through the addition of different amounts of thermally conducting B-Aluminum nitride powder to polyethylene glycol and silica gel a form-stable phase change material (PCM) is prepared. Using the Thermal Constants Analyzer, the researchers were able to measure the thermal conductivity of the PCMs. Increasing amounts of B-Aluminum nitride powder results in increasing thermal conductivity, but a decrease in the value of the latent heat. Melting temperatures were unaffected by the ...
Sebacic acid (SA) can be absorbed into the pores of expanded graphite (EG) to form a SA/EG composite phase change material (PCM). There is no chemical interaction between the SA and EG, they are merely integrated. The optimal amount of SA was found to be 85 wt.% of the total mixture. The 85 wt.% composite had a phase change temperature of ~ 128°C, with a latent heat of ~ 187 J/g. The thermal ...
Microencapsulated phase change materials (MPCMs) are excellent materials for the storage of thermal energy, and through their dispersal into a carrier fluid, microencapsulated phase change slurries (MPCS) can be prepared. These slurries exhibit both excellent thermal energy storage and heat transfer properties. A series of MPCS were prepared for this research and subsequently tested for thermal conductivity and specific heat. Other methods of quantification include DSC, TGA, rheometry, and infrared ...
The low thermal conductivity of paraffin hinders its ability to be used as a PCM, and so in this article the authors created a composite made up of paraffin and micron-size graphite flakes (MSGFs) in order to hopefully increase thermal conductivity and energy storage capabilities. The results showed that increasing concentrations of MSGFs corresponded to 'enormous' increases in thermal conductivity. The addition of MSGFs to paraffin did not affect its ...
